A Study of Livestock Marketing in Iowa

An enumerative survey of cattle and hog-marketing practices of Iowa livestock farmers was conducted in March and April 1952 by the Statistical Laboratory of Iowa State College, cooperating with the Iowa Crop and Livestock Reporting Service and the Agricultural Marketing Service. The study was undertaken to learn how and to what extent livestock farmers use information from the monthly marketing intentions survey conducted by the Iowa Crop and Livestock Reporting Service. To get valid data on the subject it was necessary to learn the degree to which farmers modify short-term marketing plans and what media or sources of information affect those plans. The purpose of this paper, the first report of the study to be published, is to present a general introduction to the problem, to explain the sample design and analysis, and to summarize (1) general information collected, (2) some comparisons of respondents and nonrespondents to the mail survey, (3) farmers' use of marketing information, and (4) changes in marketing intentions. In another article, to appear in a later issue of Agricultural Economics Research, it is planned to summarize the information collected in the survey which relates to the farmers' marketing of specific lots of livestock—cattle or hogs, or both—and to describe the sources and uses of market information.